Summer in the CPW- Meadow Flowers and Hazelton Peak

Scott Chandler

Wildness is a necessity- John Muir
Joined
Jan 4, 2014
Messages
1,099
After a week in Rapid City, SD sitting in a classroom learning how to be an FPO, I was itching to get out and enjoy the forest I'm to protect. Weather being iffy and snow still persisting I decided to stay low and just get to know the "neighborhood" of where I lived. I walked up Schoolhouse Park to the end of the road in Slab Park, cut across a short stretch of reprod trees from the '88 Lost Fire to Buffalo Park and then found my way to a road and back to Hunter Work Center. It was a nice mellow way to wake the legs up after a week of classroom sitting. The highlight of the trip was the flowers. SO. MANY. FLOWERS!

6.21 Schoolhouse-Buffalo Park Loop 002.jpg 6.21 Schoolhouse-Buffalo Park Loop 004.jpg 6.21 Schoolhouse-Buffalo Park Loop 006.jpg 6.21 Schoolhouse-Buffalo Park Loop 008.jpg 6.21 Schoolhouse-Buffalo Park Loop 012.jpg 6.21 Schoolhouse-Buffalo Park Loop 014.jpg 6.21 Schoolhouse-Buffalo Park Loop 018.jpg 6.21 Schoolhouse-Buffalo Park Loop 020.jpg 6.21 Schoolhouse-Buffalo Park Loop 021.jpg 6.21 Schoolhouse-Buffalo Park Loop 025.jpg

The next day had even worse weather prospects than the day before so I settled on checking out a mesa full of flowers right next to the road. Again, HOLY FLOWERS!! Being a desert boy the shear amount of flowers was beyond me. I followed a couple trails to dead ends and got an awesome view right down at Buffalo WY.

Grouse Mt Meadow 001.jpg Grouse Mt Meadow 002.jpg Grouse Mt Meadow 003.jpg Grouse Mt Meadow 005.jpg Grouse Mt Meadow 006.jpg Grouse Mt Meadow 008.jpg Grouse Mt Meadow 009.jpg Grouse Mt Meadow 013.jpg Grouse Mt Meadow 014.jpg Grouse Mt Meadow 016.jpg Grouse Mt Meadow 021.jpg Grouse Mt Meadow 022.jpg Grouse Mt Meadow 023.jpg

A couple days of work occurred and then my next two days off came. YAY! Better weather and a desire to do something awesome saw me driving to the peaks south of the wilderness known as the "Hazelton Peaks." I'd seen in an old guidebook that the southernmost and tallest peak: Hazelton Peak, had somewhat of a trail up it. Going off the little memory of the trail description I had I got to a parking spot and headed off. I can't say I followed a trail per say... more followed the trails of an elk herd to where I could see the mountain and I figured it out for myself from there. It was a good hike and the view from the top was fantastic.

Hazelton Peak 001.jpg Hazelton Peak 002.jpg Hazelton Peak 004.jpg Hazelton Peak 007.jpg Hazelton Peak 010.jpg Hazelton Peak 011.jpg Hazelton Peak 013.jpg
Hazelton Peak 015.jpg Hazelton Peak 016.jpg Hazelton Peak 018.jpg Hazelton Peak 020.jpg Hazelton Peak 024.jpg
I definitely did not follow the way I went up, let alone a trail as I went down the mountain. For not being a wilderness area I got a good wilderness experience. Eventually I hit the old road I took to get to the game trails so I knew I'd make it. This was when I had one of those "moments you'll never forget." As I walked I heard some interesting animal calls that perked my attention. Then boom, there was an elk between the trees in a meadow. I hoped it did not see me but it definitely did. I could see five in the shade behind it. Crap I may have just blown seeing the herd that made this impressive trails I'd been following. As I crept forward the one that spotted me bolted but the majority just went on the alert, didn't run. I continued to creep and got good views of a bunch of healthy animals. As my angle changed I could see the herd was among the biggest I've seen, maybe 40 head. I got to a couple trees I intended to hide behind and something moved five feet in front of me. A baby elk, no more than a week or two old was bedded down in the trees I'd reached and it did not know how to react to what was most likely the first human it had ever seen. It was frozen, staring at me in pure fear. The baby startling got the rest of the herd running off. The thought that I was seconds away from separating this baby from its mother and it dying flew through my mind and I backed off the little guy/gal. It bolted and I ran to a good vantage to see if it would follow the herd and I was blessed with a view of the baby running off with its mama. SO FREAKING COOL!! The next ten minutes of my hike was punctuated with the chirps and bugles of the herd talking amongst itself, trying to find each other and calm down. I spotted five new babies and there were probably more. It was a great time.

Hazelton Peak 027.jpg Hazelton Peak 028.jpg Hazelton Peak 031.jpg Hazelton Peak 033.jpg Hazelton Peak 034.jpg

Featured image for home page:
slide.jpg
 

Attachments

  • Grouse Mt Meadow 027.jpg
    Grouse Mt Meadow 027.jpg
    87 KB · Views: 20
  • Hazelton Peak 022.jpg
    Hazelton Peak 022.jpg
    127.8 KB · Views: 22
Cool story with the herd.
 
Great story Scott! Thanks. Elk talk :) Do you have a placemark or map of where you were at? And what is an FPO?
 
Amazing Flowers. Great Views. Cool experience with the elk. Great TR. Thanks
 
So, FPO??...... Fareynikte Partizaner Organizatsye? Fleet Post Office? Fake Police Officer?

ROFL!!:roflmao: The last one is the closest. FPO= Forest Protection Officer. Essentially a person with the authority to enforce National Forest regulations but doesn't carry a gun.
 
Similar threads
Thread starter Title Forum Replies Date
Scott Chandler Summer in the CPW- September Part 2 Hiking & Camping 4
Scott Chandler Summer in the CPW- September Pt. 1 Backpacking 6
Scott Chandler Summer in the CPW- The Final Tour Backpacking 3
Scott Chandler Summer in the CPW- Tour 7 North End Backpacking 6
Scott Chandler Summer in the CPW- Tour 6 West Side again Backpacking 4
Scott Chandler Summer in the CPW- Tour 5 on the East Side Backpacking 3
Scott Chandler Summer in the CPW- Tour 4 North End Backpacking 6
Scott Chandler Summer in the CPW- Tour 3 West Side Backpacking 3
Scott Chandler Summer in the CPW- A long weekend in SLC Backpacking 5
Scott Chandler Summer in the CPW- Tour 2- East Side Hiking & Camping 5
Scott Chandler Summer in the CPW- 7.2 Loaf Mountain Hiking & Camping 3
Scott Chandler Summer in the CPW- Tour 1 Hiking & Camping 5
Scott Chandler Summer in the CPW- Lookout views and fresh snow Hiking & Camping 3
The Trout Whisperer Is it summer yet in your neck of th woods? General Discussion 35
Bob Skiing Summer......... General Discussion 10
P Summer night in Yellowstone Backpacking 4
regehr flash flooding summer 2022 General Discussion 56
Rockskipper Yellowstone visitation down 34% over Memorial Day - maybe price of gas? Any predictions for the summer? General Discussion 17
Jackson A Late Summer Summit Trip Backpacking 6
TheMountainRabbit Bowen-Baker Loop (Never Summer Wilderness) - June 2020 Backpacking 1
C Dinwoody/Bonney Pass Summer Conditions Trip Planning 1
zionsky Glacier NP to Implement Ticketed Entry for Summer Season Trip Planning 29
WasatchWill A Trip to the Desert to Escape the Summer Heat Backpacking 9
beaver-one Yellowstone advice: Lamar River - Pelican Valley - Mirror Plateau loop this summer Trip Planning 6
kwc Summer Paddling in the Adirondacks On The Water 0
TheMountainRabbit Invite Never Summer Range, June 27th-29th Meet Up (Members Only) 0
Dhuff3243 Technical canyons suggestions for summer Trip Planning 0
Dreamer Wind River Dreaming | Summer 2019 July 17 - July 29 | Green River Lakes - Elkhart Park Backpacking 14
Dreamer Wind River Dreaming | Summer 2014 the first few days July 9 - 14 Backpacking 5
Ugly Sleeping with Pfieff, Maybird in May, or Summer -Winter Backpacking Winter Sports 7
scatman Yellowstone Lake - 2 Week Canoe Trip - Summer 2019 Trip Planning 24
Dreamer Wind River Dreaming | Summer 2012 trip 3 July 22 - August 8 | part two Backpacking 2
Dreamer Wind River Dreaming | Summer 2012 trip 3 July 22 - August 8 Backpacking 19
Dreamer Summer 2012: trip 1: a short visit to a small corner of The Great Wasted Forest of Northern Colorado Backpacking 11
chandlerwest Glacier National Park - Summer 2017 Hiking & Camping 14
muir_mountain (Updated Regularly) My Summer 2016 Backpacking Thread Backpacking 17
muir_mountain Undiscovered Wonder: Summer 2015 Backpacking 17
jkgear Table Mountain/Tetons Late Summer Trip Planning 12
Red Rock Rangers St. George summer Trip Planning 3
Nick Summer paddling suggestions Trip Planning 10
Bob Coming this Summer General Discussion 0
Vegan.Hiker Planning next summer's cross country trip... Trip Planning 22
Dave Summer Solstice on Causey Reservoir On The Water 9
klank Desolation Wilderness - Summer Solstice 2014 Backpacking 5
TrektheWorld Anyone from the Denver area Colorado who would want to meet up this summer for a CO or UT jaunt? Meet Up (Members Only) 1
pbax Summer planning, suggestions welcomed Trip Planning 13
NAYR New Summer Gear Gear 2
Artemus Spring and Summer Runoff 2013 Trip Planning 7
Yvonne Ashdown Gorge Summer 2013 Meet Up (Members Only) 86
Deadeye008 Outdoor Retailer Summer Market General Discussion 3

Similar threads

Back
Top